Music-leaf turner.



UNITED STATES Patented February 7, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER..

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 781,906, dated February7, 1905.

Application filed October 12, 1904. Serial No. 228,110.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE PoNARoUsE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Music-LeafTurners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the production of a portablemusic-leaf turner for use in connection with or as an attachment to amusicians music-stand, and one that is adapted by its construction alsoto be taken apart and packed in a small compass and a compact form forcarrying. It is designed to be operated either by the hand or the foot,and it is constructed also with a view to be set up for use on the deskof a piano or other similar instrument.

To these ends the invention comprises a novel construction andcombination of musicholding rack, spring operated leaf turning arms, andan escapement controlled by a single key. the parts being so constructedthat they are readily taken apart and packed closely together' withoutdisconnecting or disturbing' the leaf-turning mechanism.

The construction of my improved leafturner and the manner of setting upthe same will be understood from the following description, in which theaccompanying drawings, forming apart thereof, are referred to.

Figure l is a front elevation of the device set up for use, but showingthe central bar of the rack broken away in the middle to reduceI theheight of the figure. Fig. 2 is a front view of the base plate, on whichthe leafturning arms and the escapement and its controlling-key arecarried. Fig. 3 is a view of the center-bar of the rack ydetached fromthe base-plate. Fig. l is a plan or top view of the escapement deviceand the key for operating it. Fig. 5 is a side elevation taken from theright side of Fig. Ll.

The base-plate A on the bottom of the eenter bar B of the rack furnishesa support for the leaf-turning arms D 1) and for the keyoperatedescapement that controls the arms. The lower end ofv the bar B is fittedto a socket a on the back of the base-plate and is drawn out from it toseparate the two parts for folding. A cross-bar E, pivotally attached tothe back of the bar B, opens and closes thereon, so as to stand at rightangles to the bar and support the sheet across the back or to fold upagainst the bar when the parts are separated.

A loose rod G on the front of the bar B is attached to the bar by ahinge-joint g' at the lower end and held at the top by springing into aslot b2 in the end b of the bar B, which is bent forward at right anglesto form a catch for that purpose. This rod G confines the sheets ofmusic in place on the rack, and it is similar in its function to themovable member of a newspaper-file or to the rods or wires on the racksof many music-leaf turners that eX- tend through the middle fold of thesheets as a means of confining the sheets in place on the rack.

The arms D D are attached to the base-plate A by a hinge-joint composedof a short post /L and an eye d on the end of each arm, and to each armis connected a spring m, so arranged that its force is applied in theproper direction to throw the arm over from the right to the left sideof the center, the spring being put in tension each time by setting thearm over to the right ready for action. 1n the last-mentioned positionthe arm is held against the reactive force of the spring by an escape-Iment device consisting' of two alternately-acting dogs or catches p sand a key or lever t, projecting from the front of the base-plate A. Thecatches are so connected with the keylever that as often as the latterpart is depressed the first catch y), which is directly in front of thearm, will be drawn down and the arm will be released, while theremaining catch s will arrest and hold the arm next behind, thusallowing the first arm to escape and fly over to the other side. 1n therising movement of thc key as it is released by the performer theposition of the two catches is reversed, and the front catch pintercepts and retains the next arm at the instant that the back catchis drawn away from it. r1`he constructioirand operation of theescapement will be moreclearly understood by reference to the details,Figs. 4 and 5.

The part 2 is a bracket attached to the side IOO of the plate A by ahinge-joint 3, so that the l arms.

bracket can be turned back to lie in line with the plate A, as shown inFig. 2, or it can be turned at right angles to the plate, so that itwill stand forward and project from the front of the plate. This is theworking position ot' the key, as seen in Figs. 1, 4, and 5. The topplate 6, standing' at right ang'les to the bracket of which it is apart, is arranged to ride over the top edge of the base-plate A and lockthe bracket in that position, for which purpose the plate 6 is providedwith a catch formed of the inclines 8 9 on the under side. The key z5 isformed with a circular center part loosely iitted to a pivot 12, thatattaches it to the side of the bracket and haif'ing two stops 13 14standing above the line o't' the pivot and on opposite sides of thecenter. The finger portion tx of the key is produced by shaping' andtwisting` the plate t to stand at right angles to the part that worksagain st the bracket. A spring 15, secured to the bracketand bearingagainst the under side of the key, holds it normally in elevatedposition with the stop 13 against the top plate and controlling themovement of the key in that direction. The other stop, 14, limits themovement of the key in the opposite direction. The catches 29 s areloosely pivoted to the key at the points 16 17 on opposite sides of thecenter of motion 12, and extending upward from such points of connectionthe two catches stand in line with slots 18 19 in the top plate 6,through which one is alternately projected and the other drawn downiiush, or nearly so, with the surface of the top plate by the movementsof the key. The catches j; s are situ ated one behind the other at suchdistance apart that when the front catch y) is in elevated position,holding' the arm D, the back catch swill lie in front otl the line ofthe other arm, D', and will intercept and hold back that arm at theinstant that the front catch j) is drawn down and the end of the backcatch s is elevated above the top face ot' the plate 6. The normalposition of the catches, with the key elevated ready for action, is seenin Figs.

1 and and on setting' the leaf-turning arms over to the right ready foraction they will ride over the front catch, and both will be held bythat catch. In that position the arms are separated from each other bythe leaf-holding clip w, with which each arm is provided, and sufficientspace is left or provided between the arms to set the rear arm D behindthe line of the back catch, and thereby give that catch time to rise andarrest the arm D at the moment that the front catch y; is drawn down andthe front arm D' is released. The arms are controlled in this manner bythe simple depression and elevation of a single key.

1n the present construction I have provided only two leaf-turning arms,'for the reason that much of the sheet-music published at this time doesnot require a greater number of I do not desire, however, to beunderstood as restricting' this leaf-turner to any particularnumber ofarms, and agreater number than two can be provided and can be controlledby the same escapement.

A means is provided in connection with this escapement for operating thesame by the foot, and thus leave the hands of the performer free t'orplaying' the instrument. This means consists of a pedal 20 and a cord21, attached to one end of the pedal and provided with a hook 22 on theend `for connecting it to an eye 23 on the key. This device is readilyconnected when it is required to operate the leatturner by the foot,while at other times it is disconnected. This device is attached to thepost V ci' a portable music-stand by means of a block 24, secured to theback of the center bar A, and a socket 25 on the end of the post V, towhich the block 24E is fitted. This is one of several well-known ways offixing the rack or music-support to the legs or frame in a portablemusic-stand, the socket being secured to or formed on the end of thepost V, that is adjustable up and down in the socket 26 on the frame.Such means for fixing the rack on a portable stand is not required andmay be omitted where the device is constructed for use on the desk ormusic-support of a piano or similar instrument. The base-plate A in thatcase will rest on the ledge or projecting front board and will supportthe leaf-turner in position without special astenings.

Having' thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, isv

1. A music-leaf turner comprising the baseplate, leaf-turning arms onthe base-plate having a center of movement thereon, springs operating'to throw the arms in one direction, an escapement device for holding'the arms against the reactive force ot' the springs and separatelyreleasing them consisting of a rocking lever extending Vfrom the frontof the baseplate and the catches pivotall y attached to said lever onopposite sides of the center of motion ot' the lever.

2. In a music-leatI turner, the combination with a base-plate havingspring-operated leafturning' arms pivotally mounted on it, of anescapement device on the base-plate, comprising a hinged bracket, a topplate on said bracket adapted to engage the base-plate and hold thebracket in working position at the front thereof, a rocking levercarried by the bracket and provided with a finger-key, catches pivotallyattached to the rocking lever on opposite sides of the center andarranged to work through apertures in the top plate of the bracket, anda spring' operating' to hold the rocking lever normally in position toelevate one catch and project it in front of the front arm and depressthe other catch.

3. In a music-leaf turner, the combination of the base-plate,music-supporting center IOO IIO

f of said bar detachable therefrom, a hinged bracket on the base-plateadjustable With reference thereto to lie in the same plane, or to standoutwardlyfrom the front of the baseplate, means for locking the bracketin the last-mentioned position. a key-operated rocking lever pivotallyattached to the bracket, catches on said lever pivotally attachedthereto on opposite sides of the center, a pedal, and a cord connecting`said pedal to the lever.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name to this specificationin the presence oi' two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE PONAROUSE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD E. OsBoRN, M. REGNER.

